Envelope-type package for fold-over type coffee filter sheets

ABSTRACT

A commercial envelope-type package including a quantity of oncefolded coffee filter sheets of the rectangular fold-over type, the transverse width of the envelope of the package being slightly less than the transverse width of the once-folded sheets, thus creating a bulge which opens up the centerfolds of the sheets for reception of the user&#39;&#39;s forefinger thereinto and facilitates sliding of a single filter sheet from the package. A corner relief area of the folded sheets is provided in order further to facilitate proper selection of a single sheet for withdrawal purposes.

United States Patent Ackerman Feb. 13, 1973 ENVELOPE-TYPE PACKAGE FOR FOLD-OVER TYPE COFFEE FILTER SHEETS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 121,195 3/1948 Sweden ..206/57 R Primary Examiner-Joseph R. Leclair Assistant Examiner-John M. Caskie AttorneyNorman 1-1. Gerlach [5 7] ABSTRACT A commercial envelope-type package including a quantity of once-folded coffee filter sheets of the rectangular fold-over type, the transverse width of the envelope of the package being slightly less than the transverse width of the once-folded sheets, thus creating a bulge which opens up the centerfolds of the sheets for reception of the users forefinger thereinto and facilitates sliding of a single filter sheet from the package. A corner relief area of the folded sheets is provided in order further to facilitate proper selection of a single sheet for withdrawal purposes.

3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures ENVELOPE-TYPE PACKAGE FOR FOLD-OVER TYPE COFFEE FILTER SHEETS The present invention relates to the envelope packaging of fold-over type coffee filter sheets and has particular reference to a complete package which contains a group or stack of such sheets and wherein withdrawal of a single sheet from the envelope part of the package is greatly facilitated.

There is currently on the market a coffee filter sheet which is commonly known as a fold-over sheet. Such a sheet consists of a relatively large square piece of thin fibrous filter material having a diagonal dimension in excess of twice the diameter of the basket of the percolator-type or drip-type coffeemaking apparatus with which the filter sheet is adapted to be used. At the exact center of such coffee filter sheet, there is provided a hole or arcuate slit which enables the sheet to be slipped over the upstanding tubular riser or stem in the central portion of the basket of a percolator-type coffeemaker provided the sheet is used with such a coffeemaker. After the coffee filter sheet has thus been applied to the basket, the four corners of the sheet are folded inwardly over the upstanding tubular stem and then the corners are manipulated so as to cause the upper portion of the tubular stem to project through holes in the corners of the sheet, it being understood, of course, that prior to such corner folding of the sheet the requisite amount of granulated or ground coffee will be placed in the basket so that it is distributed evenly around the stem and is surrounded by or confined within the filter sheet in the basket. This type of coffee filter sheet has an advantage over conventional disk-type filter sheets in that after the coffee has been brewed, the folded filter sheet and its granulated or ground coffee contents may be slipped from the basket of the coffeemaker by inverting the basket over a subjacent refuse container so that the entire contents of the basket will be thus dumped into the refuse container.

In the commercial packaging of such fold-over coffee filter sheets, a number of such sheets, ordinarily thirty, are stacked together and then folded en masse with usually two folds. The first fold is along a vertical centerline and the second fold is along a slightly offset transverse line, thus leaving a folded overhang along the top edge of the twice-folded sheets. The thus folded coffee filter sheets are encased in a dispensing envelope of appropriate size and material, and such envelope is provided with a centrally disposed hole in the vicinity of its upper edge and above the level of the sheets so that the envelope of sheets may conveniently be hung from a hook for either display or dispensing purposes.

The above described method of packaging fold-over coffee filter sheets is possessed of one serious limitation in that, as the individual filter sheets are put to successive use, it is necessary for the user to remove the entire group or stack of folded sheets from the envelope, flatten out the last made fold, and then seek the centerfold of the first made fold, after which a finger may be inserted into the centerfold with the expectation that a single sheet may be selected from the centerfold for vertical pulling from the group of sheets. However, it frequently happens that after the centerfold has been thus located and the finger inserted thereinto, the first sheet will not readily slip from the remaining sheets and it is then necessary to riffle the sheets to separate a top edge of such first sheet from the remaining sheets for grasping purposes. Sometimes, instead of grasping the first sheet of the centerfold, the second, or even the third sheet is inadvertently grasped, in which case two or three clinging sheets are pulled from the group of sheets. This necessitates setting aside the sheet which is to be used and carefully replacing the unwanted sheets in the envelope by folding them to agree with the folds which are present in the folded group, and then returning the entire group of sheets, minus the one sheet to be used, into their inserted position in the envelope. More often than not, the user will stuff the unwanted sheet or sheets back into the envelope along with the folded sheets so that the next time that a filter sheet is required, it must be selected from a crumpled wad of sheets within the envelope.

The present invention is designed to overcome the above-noted limitation that is attendant upon presentday conventional packaging of fold-over type coffee filter sheets and, toward this end, the invention contemplates that a group of such sheets, for example, thirty, be stacked together in the usual manner and then once-folded along a vertical approximate centerline, after which the once-folded stack of sheets is inserted lengthwise into an envelope which is expressly made longer in order to receive the once-folded sheets, and is provided with the usual access score line across the top margin of the front panel thereof, as well as with a suspension hole as previously described. Not only is the envelope made longer to accommodate the lack of a second fold, but it is made of a width which is slightly less than the width of the once-folded stack of sheets to the end that when the stack is inserted into the envelope such a centerfold bulge will take place so that when the access score line is slitted or broken, this centerfold bulge will register with the now open access opening of the envelope. By such an arrangement, the centerfold of the stacked sheets may easily be found by the simple expedient of inserting the forefinger or thumb into the access opening and then deep down into the centerfold. In order to facilitate selection of a single sheet, namely, the innermost centerfold sheet, all of the corners of the sheets on one side of the centerfold are truncated, much in the manner of conventional carbon paper truncation for typing purposes.

Such truncation of the corners of the sheets on one side of the centerfold is not so much for the purpose of distinguishing one side of the centerfold from the other or for isolating one side of the folded sheets from the other side, as it is for assuring insertion of the forefinger or thumb into the centerfold in case the bulge which takes place incident to the aforementioned discrepancy in dimensions is not well defined. In such an instance, the centerfold of the folded sheets may readily be located by pushing aside the non-truncated corners and then sliding the forefinger deep down into the envelope with the assurance that the centerfold has been automatically located. As a matter of fact, even with such dim lighting as will obscure clear vision of the top or upper edges of the sheets, little or no trouble will be encountered in locating the centerfold by the sense of feel or touch. After the centerfold has thus been located and the forefinger or thumb inserted thereinto, light pressure on either side of the once-folded stack of sheets, preferably the truncated side, will enable the innermost sheet of the centerfold to be slid frictionally upwardly and away from the remaining sheets within the envelope.

The provision of a commercial package which is designed expressly for the purpose of dispensing coffee filter sheets of the fld-over type in which the sheets are truncated, folded, and inserted in a retaining and dispensing envelope of less width than the width of the once-folded sheets, and which possesses the abovestated advantages, constitutes the principal object of the present invention.

Other objects and advantages of the invention not at this time enumerated will become readily apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood from a consideration of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features which are hereinafter set forth and are more particularly defined by the claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the accompanying single sheet of drawings forming a part of this specification, one illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an envelope-type package of percolator basket filter sheets, constructed according to the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1; I

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper or dispensing end of-the package, showing the envelope slitted and ready for selective dispensing of the coffee filter sheets which are contained therein;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3 but showing an initial step which is employed in withdrawing the innermost filter sheet from the envelope;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the final step which is employed in withdrawing the innermost filter sheet from the envelope; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view of one of the individual coffee filter sheets.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and in particular to FIG. 1, a commercial package of coffee filter sheets is designated in its entirety by the reference numeral 10,- the package embodying the principles of the present invention. The package 10 involves in it general organization a retaining envelope 12 for the filter sheets, this envelope preferably but not necessarily being comprised of transparent polyethylene or other plastic sheet material. The envelope 12 is of rectangular configuration and may be variously formed, but in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, this envelope is vertically elongated with the upper edge 14 being a'folded edge, the lower edge 16 being a heat-sealed edge, and the two side edges 18 and 20 also being heat-sealed edges. The thus constructed folded and heat-sealed envelope embodies a front panel 22 and a back panel 24 (see FIG. 2).

A short distance below the upper folded edge 14 of the envelope 12 a heat seal 26 extends across the envelope and thereby creates a permanent two-thickness display panel or tab 28 on which there may be printed or otherwise marked suitable advertising, identification, or other indicia. A hole 30 is punched or otherwise formed through the central upper portion of this display panel, the hole serving as a medium whereby the package as a whole may be suspended from a wall hook or the like for display or filter sheet dispensing purposes.

A slight distance below the heat seal 26, a full-length horizontal score line 32 (see FIG. 1) weakens the front panel 22 so that this score line may be slit open by a knife or the fingernail to yield access to the interior of the envelope below the score line 32. In FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, this score line is shown as having been opened in order thereby to provide an exit mouth 34 through which the filter sheets which are contained within the envelope may be withdrawn one at a time.

According to the present invention, the envelope 12 is adapted to contain a plurality of filter sheets S of the fold-over type, such sheets being disposed in oncefolded stacked condition and in coextensive face-toface relationship with the free or distal edges of the stack being brought together as best illustrated in FIG. 4. Except for the truncation of at least one corner of each sheet in a manner and for a purpose that will be made clear presently, these filter sheets S are of the conventional fold-over type, each sheet consisting of a substantially square piece of fibrous or other filter material as shown in FIG. 6. At the exact center of each sheet S, there is provided the usual semi-circular slit 40 which defines a flexible, semi-circular flap 42, the latter being capable of being displaced upwardly when the center of the sheet is pressed over the upstanding tubular riser or stem of the basket assembly of a percolatortype coffeemaker or assuming a flat position when the center of the sheet is pressed into the basket of a driptype coffee-maker. At each corner region of each coffee filter sheet S, there is provided a retention hole 44 by means of which the corners of the sheet, after being folded inwardly, may be retained on the tubular riser of the basket assembly of a percolator-type coffeemaker, it being understood that the bag-like structure which is thus formed will, before folding, be filled with granulated or ground coffee bean material. Fold-over coffee filter sheets of this general type have long been on the market and the only difference between the present filter sheet S and those filter sheets currently in use is in the provision of a truncated corner 46 at each of two diagonally opposed corners of the sheet, the two other opposed or diagonally opposite corners being not truncated or uncut. The function of these two truncated corners will be set forth in detail presently.

As previously stated, the filter sheets S within the envelope 12 are arranged in stacked relationship with the entire stack being loosely once-folded along a vertical centerline. This folding of the stack brings the registering truncated corners 46 of the sheets S into contiguity with adjacent non-truncated corners as clearly shown in FIG. 4, as well as into proximity with respect to the heat-sealed aside edge 18 of the envelope 12.

According to the present invention, the transverse dimensions of the envelope 12 is slightly less than the transverse dimension of the folded stack of filter sheets S so that when such once-folded stack is inserted into the envelope a bulge such as appears at 48 in FIG. 3 will be created within the centerfold. This bulge 48 ordinarily wil occur approximately mid-way between the vertical centerline fold and the two free adjacent vertical edges of the stacked sheets since this region of the folded stack is the region which offers the least resistance to flexion. If the centerline fold of the stack is made precisely on the vertical centerline of the stacked sheets, the bulge 48 may be distributed between the two otherwise flat half-sections of the folded stack. In such an instance, slight flexion of both half-sections will take place. However, to insure a well-defined bulge, it is preferable that the centerline fold be made slightly off center so that one or the other of the two half-sections will have a transverse width which is equal to the transverse width of the envelope, while the remaining section will have a transverse width which is considerably in excess of the transverse width of the envelope as clearly shown in FIG. 3, in which case this latter halfsection will flex to produce the bulge 48 while the other half-section will lie flat within the envelope. The centerfold may be made so that it is slightly offset on either side from the true centerline of the stack. In one instance, the bulge will be created in the half-section which presents the upper truncated corners 46 near the score line 32. In the other instance, the bulge will occur in the half-section which presents the upper non-truncated corners near the score line 32. Thus, the term centerfold has been supplied as employed herein is used in its loose sense, and this fold may be made precisely midway between the vertical edges of the folded stack of sheets or slightly to one side of the true vertical centerline of the stack. In actual practice, the centerfold is not a true fold or crease line. It is merely a reverse bending of the two half-sections of the stack and a bringing of the free vertical edges of the stacked sheets together immediately before inserting the stack of sheets into the envelope. Thus, after the stack is enclosed in the envelope, the centerfold may drift in either direction and usually it will drift until one of the half-sections of the stack lies flat within the envelope while the other half-section will bulge. Stated otherwise, the centerfold does not constitute a sharp crease line and sometimes the bulge that results from forcing the oversize stack into the undersize envelope will take place directly at the centerfold. It is a phenomenon of stack folding that all of the half-sections of the sheets on the same side of the centerfold will tend to stay together so that when the stack is forced into the undersize envelope, the bulge will take place bodily in either or both half-sections of the stack and create such a central void that when the forefinger of the user is inserted into the void, such finger will be straddled by a single filter sheet, namely, the inside or innermost sheet ofthe folded stack.

Considering now the manner in which the package is used for coffee filter sheet dispensing purposes, assuming that the package is suspended by means of the suspension hole 30 from a wall hook or the like, and further assuming that the score line 32 has been slitted or otherwise ruptured, the suspended package assumes the condition which is illustrated in FIG. 3, the bulge 48 serving to force the now open exit mouth 34 of the envelope apart so as to expose the upper edges of the sheets of the folded stack. This is the normal condition of the package after it has initially been opened and hung on the hook.

In order to withdraw a single filter sheet from the envelope 12, the forefinger may be inserted into the void which is created by the bulge 48 as shown in FIG. 4, after which the finger may he slid tothe left to the position in which it is shown in FIG. 5, thus, in effect, shifting the bulge 48 from the central region of the upper edge of the stack to the left-hand end of such edge as indicated at 48'. This operation automatically brings the truncated edge region of the stack to a position between the forefinger and the thumb where, by closing said forefinger and thumb upon each other with light pressure, the upper truncated edge region of the stack may be grasped between the two digits. Thereafter, by sliding the forefinger upwardly while still maintaining light pressure on the upper truncated region of the stack, the innermost filter sheet S will slide upwardly so that it. may then be firmly grasped between the thumb and forefinger and such sheet pulled bodily upwardly from the stack and, consequently, from the envelope 12. As the innermost sheet is thus pulled upwardly, it drapes itself in somewhat of a conical fashion and thus spreads the half-sections of the remaining portion of the stack apart and further loosens the sheet from the stack so that there is no tendency for any of the other sheets in the stack to be withdrawn or even to rise above their normal envelope-contained position. After the innermost sheet has been thus withdrawn the package 10 resumes its original opened condition, minus, of course, the single withdrawn coffee filter sheet. The operation is repeated until the envelope 12 has been depleted of filter sheets S.

The above described dispensing operation is merely exemplary of a preferred mode of withdrawing a single filter sheet from the suspended envelope 12. The creation of the bulge 48 affords numerous other ways of withdrawing the innermost sheet from the envelope. If desired, the thumb may be inserted into the void which is established by the bulge 48 and, in such an instance, it will be the non-truncated corner region of the folded stack that is operated on during filter sheet withdrawal. The function of the truncated corners at the top edge of each filter sheet S is to facilitate separation of the two half-sections of the folded stack of filter sheets in the event that no tangible or discernable bulge is established in a given package which is, of course, a possible condition when high-speed, I automaticpackaging equipment is employed for packaging purposes. In such an instance, despite the absence of a definite bulge and consequent void for finger insertion, the user may place his forefinger against the non-truncated corner portion of the folded stack and push one side of the stack away from the other side, thus dividing the stack evenly on opposite sides of the finger and insuring that such finger will slide only the innermost filter sheet upwardly from the envelope.

It is to be noted that as'shown in FIG. 6, two truncated corners 46 which are diagonally disposed across the sheet are provided. This enables the folded stack to be inserted into the envelope endwise without having to give consideration to proper end-to-end orientation. Regardless of which end of the stack is introduced into the envelope initially, the net result will be the same since, in either event, a truncated corner portion of the stack will lie in the vicinity of the score line 32. This feature of the invention is useful where manual packaging operations are resorted to.

The invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawing or described in this specification as various changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, only insofar as the invention is particularly pointed out in the accompanying claims is the same to be limited.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by letters patent is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a package adapted to dispense coffee filter sheets of the fold-over type, and comprising a normally flat, vertically elongated envelope of rectangular configuration and including front and rear panels marginally connected together to provide horizontal top and bottom and vertical side edges for the envelope and also to establish an envelope enclosure, said front panel, when slitted transversely in the vicinity of said top edge, establishing an open mouth for the envelope, and a plurality of substantially square filter sheets disposed in said envelope enclosure, said sheets being arranged in coextensive face-to-face relationship to provide a stack which is once-folded loosely and substantially along a vertical centerline with the free edges of the folded stack being brought together into contiguity, the transverse width of the envelope enclosure being slightly less than the transverse width of the folded stack whereby at least one side of the folded stack is constrained to bulge outwardly of the stack and establish a centerfold void which is accessible through said mouth and into which a finger of the user may be inserted preparatory to frictionally sliding the innermost folded sheet of the stack upwardly and outwardly through said mouth.

2. A dispensing package as set forth in claim 1 and wherein the upper corners of the filter sheets which are disposed on one side of the centerline fold are truncated in order to facilitate insertion of a finger of the user into the centerfold void.

3. A dispensing package as set forth in claim I and wherein the oncefoldcd stack presents on one side of the centerline fold a half-section which is substantially equal in transverse width to that of the envelope enclosure so that such half section lies flat within the confines of the envelope, and the transverse width of the half-section of the stack on the other side of the center line fold is appreciably in excess of the transverse width of the envelope enclosure whereby said latter half-section is constrained to bulge outwardly of the stack and establish said finger-receiving centerfold void. 

1. As a new article of manufacture, a package adapted to dispense coffee filter sheets of the fold-over type, and comprising a normally flat, vertically elongated envelope of rectangular configuration and including front and rear panels marginally connected together to provide horizontal top and bottom and vertical side edges for the envelope and also to establish an envelope enclosure, said front panel, when slitted transversely in the vicinity of said top edge, establishing an open mouth for the envelope, and a plurality of substantially square filter sheets disposed in said envelope enclosure, said sheets being arranged in coextensive face-to-face relationship to provide a stack which is once-folded loosely and substantially along a vertical centerline with the free edges of the folded stack being brought together into contiguity, the transverse width of the envelope enclosure being slightly less than the transverse width of the folded stack whereby at least one side of the folded stack is constrained to bulge outwardly of the stack and establish a centerfold void which is accessible through said mouth and into which a finger of the user may be inserted preparatory to frictionally sliding the innermost folded sheet of the stack upwardly and outwardly through said mouth.
 1. As a new article of manufacture, a package adapted to dispense coffee filter sheets of the fold-over type, and comprising a normally flat, vertically elongated envelope of rectangular configuration and including front and rear panels marginally connected together to provide horizontal top and bottom and vertical side edges for the envelope and also to establish an envelope enclosure, said front panel, when slitted transversely in the vicinity of said top edge, establishing an open mouth for the envelope, and a plurality of substantially square filter sheets disposed in said envelope enclosure, said sheets being arranged in coextensive face-to-face relationship to provide a stack which is once-folded loosely and substantially along a vertical centerline with the free edges of the folded stack being brought together into contiguity, the transverse width of the envelope enclosure being slightly less than the transverse width of the folded stack whereby at least one side of the folded stack is constrained to bulge outwardly of the stack and establish a centerfold void which is accessible through said mouth and into which a finger of the user may be inserted preparatory to frictionally sliding the innermost folded sheet of the stack upwardly and outwardly through said mouth.
 2. A dispensing package as set forth in claim 1 and wherein the upper corners of the filter sheets which are disposed on one side of the centerline fold are truncated in order to facilitate insertion of a finger of the user into the centerfold void. 